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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. snap — to click
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. scale — size or range
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. scale — in music
  11. bore — to tire
  12. net — after costs
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. bore — to drill
  16. bear — the animal
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. net — for catching
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. bear — the animal
  22. net — in sport
  23. fork — in a road
  24. calf — a young animal

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com